When it comes to knowing how to spool a spinning reel there is more than one way to skin a cat. Anglers from across the world spool their fishing reels differently. The important thing is to find the method that works best for you. There are, however wrong ways to spool a spinning reel. In this article, I’ll show you my favorite way to rig a spinning reel for trout. This method has worked for me for years, and I hardly ever have issues with memory, line twist, or knots while lake fishing for trout.
Materials to Spool a Spinning Reel
First things first, you must gather your materials. That’s right, this isn’t simply a grab your reel and adds monofilament fishing line to the spool kind of article. Your gonna need a few different items in order to do this correctly.
- Spinning Reel
- Monofilament Fishing Line 6-8lb Test
- 15 lb Braided Fishing Line
- Fishing Line Winder (optional)
A fishing line winder is not required to spool a spinning reel, but it does help tremendously if you have nobody around to help. A pencil and a friend can do the same job, but for around $40, you can have one of these great tools to help you out.
How to Spool A Spinning Reel
STEP 1 – Attach your spinning reel to the line winder tool. If you don’t have one, simply attach your reel to any fishing rod.
STEP 2 – Use the monofilament fishing line as backing for your braid. This is very important as the braid will want to spin on your reel without it. The monofilament gives the braid something to “bite” into on the reel. Add enough mono fishing line to cover the spool completely, roughly 30-50 spins of the reel should do it. The amount you will need to add depends on the size of the fishing reel you’re dealing with.
STEP 3 – After putting the monofilament fishing line onto the spool, it’s time to attach the braided fishing line to it. There are a few knots you can use to bind the two different lines together. Some of my favorites are the Double UNI knot and the Alberto knot. Click the links if you’re not familiar with these fishing knots.
STEP 4 – Now, attach the braid to the line winder and begin to spool your fishing reel. The line winder will allow the braid spool to spin while reeling in order to prevent line twists while spooling. Begin reeling so that the spool fills up. Do NOT overfill the spinning reel.
STEP 5 – Cut the braid with scissors and remove your spinning reel from the line winder. Secure your tag end of the line by wither attaching it to the reel stopper of the first eyelet on the fishing rod.
How to Rig Yout Trout Fishing Line
Although your spinning reel is spooled for trout, we’re not quite finished. When getting to our spot on the lake, we must attach a leader to our braid. A trout leader allows anglers to eliminate the visibility of braided fishing lines. Use a 2-3 foot monofilament leader attached to a swivel. You can also attach the leader to a snap swivel if you would like to pre-make your fishing leaders at home. The last thing to do is select your favorite trout fishing bait and get to fishing!
